As of recent, the book community has been obsessed with sprayed book edges. I am one of those people. DIY sprayed edges has also become something everyone is trying. I’ve seen so many pictures in the past week alone!
I never thought I’d try and paint my books. Like ever. I’m the kind of person who doesn’t write in her books. I can’t even break the spine! But I was tempted to try this, and surprisingly, it turned out perfectly!
I was asked to make a tutorial on how to paint book edges. So, in today’s post I’ll be showing you how to do that!
What you’ll need:
- Acrylic paint
- Newspaper or anything to cover the front of your book (not really necessary but I used it just in case)
- Washi tape (flimsy kind would be best)
- Paint brush
Instructions:
First things first, if you’re confident about your painting skills then you wont really need the newspaper, but I used it just so I wouldn’t get any paint on the cover. It looks really confusing in the picture but all you need to do is cover the front and back cover.
Next thing is use some washi tape on the edges of the first page of the book. Paint tends to come on the edges by mistake (happened to me the first time). If you can get washi tape that comes off easily and won’t ruin your book, good.
I used washi tape that I thought was flimsy but when I came to take it off I realized it wasn’t. If this happens you can always use a blow dryer on the tape for a few minutes. It comes off easily afterwards.
I took a picture of the book below before I applied washi tape on the lower edge.
So next, make sure you’re using the best brush you have. I was using a big one the first time but It wasn’t really helping. I used a small one instead for this one and it works a lot better. Especially when painting the edges and corners.
Do not add water to your acrylic paint. Acrylic paint is perfectly fine the way it is. Water is most definitely not needed (at least it wasn’t for the paint I used). Go ahead and start painting!
When painting, paint the entire side. Don’t leave it to dry and then continue the rest of it, like below.
When done with one of the sides leave it to try for a few minutes. I wouldn’t let it dry for longer than 2 minutes though. The thing with acrylic is that once you’re done painting you’ll have to separate the pages from each others.
I know it sounds like a hassle but you it needs to be done. The pages don’t stick together strongly so there’s no need to panic about the pages tearing. The key is to not leave it to dry for too long. The moment you touch it and it feels dry, start separating.
Repeat these steps with each side that you paint.
One you’re done you’ll get this result!
Thank you for making this!! We have a lot of acrylic paint at home, so I’m definitely going to try this sooner rather than later. I’ll probably start on a book I plan to get rid of, though, because I don’t trust my painting abilities haha. Also, thanks for the tip about the washi tape! I didn’t know it comes off if you use a blow dryer. Great post!
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You’re welcome! My first attempt was on a book I didn’t care about much so that’s a good idea. You’ll need to use the blow dryer a lot though. I did it for like a minute or two and it was still a bit difficult so maybe use it for at least 5 minutes? you’ll notice when it’s good to remove. Thanks for reading!
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I love this! I think I’m gong to give this DIY a try one day. I have some books I’m not even sure I’m ever even going to read, like Half Bad by Sally Green, so I’ll probably start with those. I haven’t really painted besides my bookmarks.
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Thank you! I started with Half Bad too! It turned out great so I’d definitely recommend!
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This was such a great and simple guide! I loved seeing the picture of each step, and the finished product looks amazing!!
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Thank you for reading! 💖 I hope it helped 😊
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This looks like a fun project…i’ll try it.
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Hope you enjoy doing it!
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Oooh, you make it look so easy!! 💕
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But it is! My painting skills aren’t perfect but it actually turned out a lot easier than I thought. Plus it’s very therapeutic 💕
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OK, I’m going to seriously consider it!!
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I love that people are dying their book edges. I’d be afraid I’d still mess it up somehow, but thanks for the step by step directions. You should totally sell these, or make them as gifts. 😉
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
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Sounds like a pretty good idea! especially the gift part. Thanks for reading my post!
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Love thiss!😍 was thinking of trying and now I definitely will!
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Ooh I hope you enjoy making it! I’d love to see how it turns out 😍
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Oooh, this is a good bookstagram idea! but I have reservations about painting my books…
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Ahhh! I’ve wanted to try this for, like, forever. I’m a pretty good artist, lmao, so I’m not worried about accidentally painting the book’s cover … I’m just so nervous about the pages sticking together!! 😬😬
But! The one in your picture looks fantabulous! (I love the colors together, too! ❤ ) I think … I may try it?? Idk. Anyways! Thanks for doing a post on it!
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If you’re confident then you have nothing to worry about! When using acrylic the pages need to be separated but they aren’t stuck together intensely. Some pages even separate really easily and some aren’t really stuck at all.
Thanks! I was so worried since my painting skills aren’t all that, but it turned out perfectly! If you do happen to paint yours do send me pictures. I’d love to see how it turns out! ❤
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Just wanted to say I’ve been so excited to try this, had my first run through today, definitely going to practice on a hardcover next time but it was so much fun and your guide was SO helpful
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Ah I’m so so happy to hear that! Would love to see how it turned out if you’re okay with that? which book did you end up painting?
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Yea! So I ended up painting a book I had in my donate pile, Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon, the paperback was a bit too floppy for me as I didn’t really have a surface to work on lol, I tweeted a pic of one side, I’m adding the link if that’s alright!
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this looks so good!! I’ve been so curious about sprayed edges and why people love them so much – definitely want to give this a try!
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Please let me know if you do! it’s such a fun project and the book looks so good with them
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this was super helpful!! i kept having problems with my pages sticking cause i assumed they should sit until they dry, and your incredibly obvious advice really helped hahaha. I was wondering though, have you had any problems using white paint? i’ve tried 3 different paints but every white i use ends up kind of..balling up and flaking off. Any ideas why?
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So glad it helped! I’ve actually never tried using white paint so I’m not entirely sure. I will ask around and see if anyone knows though.
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